Hong Kong Immigration & Visa Application
GetHongKongVisa.com (Prism Consultancy Co. Ltd.) is the leading Hong Kong immigration consultant who provides information on all types of Hong Kong Visa Applications, and offers services & consultation to individual professionals and entrepreneurs who are to work in HK or incorporate in HK. We have always been handling over 1,000 visa applications in Hong Kong each year for our customers (see customers’ testimonials).
Types Of Hong Kong Visa Applications
How does anyone know what visa to apply for? And more importantly, how do they apply for Hong Kong visas?
Professionals from overseas may move to Hong Kong for long term or short term for new employment, internal transfer of a multinational company, training, or with his/her spouse. Professionals may continue to stay for several years in Hong Kong and will be required to apply for extension of visa, or change of employer visa.
- Work Visa
- Investment Work Visa
- Dependant Visa
- Working Holiday Visa
- Change of Employer Visa
- Visa Extension
- Other Visas
Other Hong Kong visas include training visa, de Facto Spouse visa, student visa, IANG visa, QMAS visa, and more.
Hong Kong Work Visa
A Hong Kong visa application may be for employment or business. Professionals originally from overseas countries are required to first obtain a work visa before they are legally allowed to take up any paid, short-term, or long-term employment.
The processing time for a Hong Kong work visa application usually takes 4-6 weeks from the application submission date. When the application is approved, the professional (i.e. applicant) will be granted a two-year work visa for him/her to take up employment in Hong Kong.
Prior an individual professional applies for the work visa, he/she should first fulfill the following requirements:
- The individual must have already received a job offer from a locally based Hong Kong company (i.e. company incorporation in Hong Kong).
- The applicant must have required qualifications and/or working experience which are not readily available with local Hong Kong workforce and/or employees.
- The professional should be placed in a management role while the salary package must be within the current market rate in Hong Kong.
- The individual professional must have a sponsor who is the employer of the applicant.
- The sponsoring company must prove it is financially stable and must have a local HK office address and other HK staffs.
Hong Kong Investment Work Visa
Getting employed by a Hong Kong incorporated company is not the only way to relocate and work in HK. For entrepreneurs who are willing to start a business in Hong Kong may apply for an investment work visa (i.e. entrepreneur visa) under the following requirements:
- The applicant (i.e. entrepreneur) must be the sole or the majority shareholder of his/her newly incorporated Hong Kong company.
- The entrepreneur’s new business must be a business that will enhance the local economy in HK.
- The entrepreneur’s business must have a local office, and must hire local persons as employees.
- The entrepreneur’s business must have sufficient fund, and must have past business transactions or show the potential to obtain business transactions in the future.
Hong Kong Dependant Visa
A married spouse, a child, or a parent may apply for a dependant visa when the individual (i.e. sponsor) is a Hong Kong permanent resident (i.e. citizen).
The person holding a Hong Kong dependant visa is allowed to take employment, study, or incorporate a new company in HK.
- The child (applying for the dependant visa) must be under age of 18.
- The parent (applying for hte dependant visa) must be at least age of 60.
When the sponsor (with HK permanent residence) and spouse are under a same-sex civil partnership, same-sex civil union, same-sex marriage, opposite-sex civil partnership or opposite-sex civil union, the spouse is eligible to apply for a dependant visa.
Hong Kong Working Holiday Visa
Persons who are of nationality including Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, or United Kingdom, and are between age 18 and 30 are eligible to apply for a holiday working visa if they have plans to relocate to and live in Hong Kong.
When holding a holiday working visa, the individual person is allowed to take training courses and be employed in temporary jobs.
The main objective of working holiday visas is to facilitate cultural and educational exchange between the people from the participating countries and Hong Kong.
Change of Employer Visa (Hong Kong)
When a professional moves from one job to another while he/she is on a work visa, he/she not allowed to simply work for the new employer while holding the work visa from the previous employer. The individual must apply for a new work visa under the name of the new sponsor (i.e. the new HK employer).
Another case is when a individual used to be working for an employer in HK, but subsequently he/she has set up a Hong Kong company. The individual (i.e. entrepreneur) must re-apply for a new investment work visa as he/she has become self-employed.
Visa Extension (Hong Kong)
For a professional originally from overseas who has been working in Hong Kong, his/her work visa with his/her employment may expire in 2 years. A month before his/her work visa expires, he/she must apply for visa extension (if he/she has plan to continue working for the same HK employer). When the work visa extension is approved, it will usually be for a 3-year period.
Another case is for a person who is not a HK Permanent ID Card holder and has come to Hong Kong on a dependant visa to join his/her spouse (who has been working in HK). This person needs to apply for his/her dependant visa extension (or renewal).
Other Visas
Other visa types may be required for a person to enter Hong Kong.
De Facto Spouse Visa (i.e. Prolonged Visitor Visa)
A de facto spouse is when a couple has no formal marriage certificate, and therefore is not eligible for the application of a dependant visa. The couple in this case may apply for a prolonged visitor visa which allows the spouse an extended stay in Hong Kong without the same rights and benefits that are available for a dependant visa.
- A de facto spouse is forbidden to work or study without the prior permission of the Hong Kong Immigration Department.
- The de facto spouse is not eligible to apply for the right of abode after seven consecutive years of stay in Hong Kong.
- The prolonged visitor visa holder is not eligible to apply or get a Hong Kong Identity Card as a resident.
Training Visa
A Hong Kong training visa is a sub-category under the work visa and is sometimes required. Who may apply for a training visa?
- Professionals who are sent by the headquarter company in overseas to Hong Kong to take training courses.
- Individual persons who are to work as interns in HK.
A training visa is usually issued to the professional for the proposed training period or for a maximum of 12 months, depending on whichever is shorter.
Professionals originally from People’s Republic of China (i.e. Mainland China) are eligible for a training visa application if they can fit the relevant criteria.
Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS)
QMAS has the main objective to attract highly skilled or talented professionals to relocate to Hong Kong to enhance the economic competitiveness of HK and is a quota-based scheme. A QMAS applicant has to fulfill all the requirements under one of the two point-based tests: General Points Test and Achievement-based Points Test.
- A successful applicant is not require to have secured a job offer from a locally based Hong Kong company before he/she enters Hong Kong for settlement.
- The successful applicant may bring along his/her spouse and unmarried dependant children (under age of 18) to Hong Kong as long as he/she is capable to financially support their accommodation and living expenses.
Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG)
IANG is for non-local graduate students who have graduated from one of the universities in Hong Kong.
- A non-local graduate student who has submitted an application to the HK Immigration Department within 6 months after the date of his/her graduation is classified as a non-local fresh graduate.
- The non-local fresh graduate student who has been granted IANG does not need to first obtain an employment offer (from a local HK company) before he/she is eligible to stay in Hong Kong for 12 months.
Testimonials by Customers
Chris and Bonnie at Prism have been an absolute pleasure to work with. They clearly explained the application process, assisted in drafting necessary documents and were always available to address any questions or concerns. We couldn't have asked for better consultants.
Prism Consultancy continually raise the benchmark for business excellence. We have been dealing with Bonnie and her staff for over a decade, availing ourselves of most if not all of their services and have the highest regard for their advice and expertise. Whether requests are small or large, they deliver results with a smile, on time, and as promised. Their professionalism, integrity and quality of service are of the highest order.
I had a few questions regarding my visa and I was able to get an appointment with Bonnie at very short notice. Bonnie gave me clarity on many things that I couldn’t seem to find online and also gave me advice on things I had not thought of. Although it was a short visit with Bonnie I could clearly see that she and the PRISM team have great experience in dealing with all sorts of Visa related issues. I highly recommend PRISM for any Visa needs.
I am a huge fan of Prism. They have helped me and several of my friends with all sorts of issues over recent months whether it is a last minute visa problem, a business visa application, or something more mundane to do with your company structure, Bonnie and her team always come to the rescue with the lowest cost option.
We are an HR consultant and use PRISM service to help applying work visa for our 3 engineers from US. Since the time frame was tight, PRISM did a very good job to give us tips for our employees to get abode in Hong Kong in a very short time. Great thanks!